Deep-sea trawlers threatening livelihoods

Social activists call for creation of policies for uplift of coastal communities.

KARACHI: Social sector organisations have called on the government to formulate and implement policies for the development of the fishing sector.

Participants at a workshop for the promotion of gender equality and creation of decent employment, organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), highlighted that deep-sea fishing trawlers have depleted fish in the country’s waters, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of coastal communities.

“At present there are no policies to safeguard the interests of coastal communities that have traditionally depended on fishing for their livelihoods,” said Farida, a social activist from Gwadar.

“Deep-sea trawlers are not covered by provincial laws and getting authorities to take action against them has not yielded fruitful results so far,” she added.

“This sector has received very little attention from development agencies so far despite its significant contribution to the national economy,” said ILO representative Sajila Khan.

Addressing participants including representatives of various social sector organisations, government departments and coastal communities, she stressed the need to create linkages between different development programmes.

“Only vocational training and similar projects are not enough. Employment opportunities and enabling conditions have to be created in these areas,” she said. “A majority of the country’s coastal communities are living in conditions of extreme poverty,” said Khan.

Research conducted by Raasta Development Consultants for ILO showed that “poor health is the single most important factor in perpetuating poverty in coastal communities.”

According to the research firm, the exorbitant cost of medical care coupled with high incidence of health problems in these groups make healthcare a major concern. The research focused on three coastal communities - Karachi, Badin and Gwadar.

Findings highlighted that more than 80 per cent of male respondents from coastal communities in Karachi and Badin identified fishing as their primary source of income. However, in Gwadar only 35 per cent of the men depend on fishing. Researchers also found that residents of coastal communities are increasingly willing to diversify their skills in order to pursue permanent employment in other sectors.

“Agriculture and embroidery are two sectors that coastal communities of Sindh have traditionally taken part in,” highlighted National Rural Development representative Keenjhar Memon, adding that “skill development in these areas can help improve living conditions for people.”

Participants expressed resolve to work closely in development programmes and urged members of the media to highlight issues faced by coastal communities of the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2010.